When Nightmares Come True
by crazycatt71
Summary: Will Jack's nightmares come true?


"Noooooo! Ianto, No!" Jack screamed.

Something grabbed him and he struggled, arms flailing.

"Jack, wake up," a warm voice called. "Wake up, you're having a nightmare."

"Ianto?" Jack questioned, trying to push past the fog of fear that gripped him.

"Yes, Jack, it's me, I'm here, I'm right here," Ianto soothed, his arms tightening around Jack,"I'm right here."

Jack pulled the younger man against his chest and held on tight, letting Ianto's heart beat convince him the nightmare hadn't been real.

"Jack, I can't breathe." Ianto said, trying to squirm out of Jack's iron grip.

Jack let him go and got out of bed. He went in to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. When he looked in the mirror, he could see Ianto standing behind him. He wrapped his arms around Jack's waist and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" Ianto asked.

"No." Jack said, just like Ianto had known he would.

"Jack, this is the third time this week you've had nightmares." Ianto said, "Maybe if you told me about them, they'd loose their hold on you."

Jack didn't tell Ianto it was only the third time he'd woken him, he'd had nightmares every night this week. He didn't want to talk about them, he didn't even want to think about them, even though he knew he couldn't stop.

"I'll be ok," he said, turning to face Ianto, "they'll pass, they always do."

"Stubborn ass." Ianto grumbled

"It's one of my charms." Jack said, softly kissing him.

Ianto snorted and took Jack's hand.

"Let's go back to bed." he said.

Jack allowed Ianto to lead him back to bed. He lay there, trying to replace the sound of wind screaming through a dark wood, the picture of a moon lit clearing, a mound of dirt, the sight of Ianto's pale, dead body in a shallow grave with the sounds of Ianto's breathing and steady heart beat, the piture of him asleep in his arms.

XXXXXX

Several days later and nightmares later, Jack sat behind his desk, feeling tired and grumpy. Even Ianto's magic coffee had failed to perk him up.

"Jack," Tosh called, "we've got rift activity."

Jack went over to her work station.

"Where?" he asked."

"Brecon Beacon." Tosh said, her voice trembling.

Jack gently squeezed her shoulder. None of the team had good memories of that place.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

""It's been active for 37 minutes now." she said.

"Ok, well have to check it out. " he said, "Where's Owen?"

"He went to get medical supplies, he won't be back to later." Tosh said.

"And Gwen's on holiday. Damn!" Jack swore.

"Guess you're stuck with me, Sir." Ianto said from behind him.

He spun around to see Ianto standing there in jeans and hiking boots.

I could go alone." Jack said.

"Not happening, Sir." Ianto told him firmly.

"Tosh..."

"Will monitor the activity and give us any information she can." Ianto said, cutting him off. "Get your coat and meet me at the SUV.

He turned and headed out the door before Jack could protest any more. Jack grabbed his coat and hurried after him. Ianto was already behind the wheel of the SUV when Jack reached the parking garage.

"I would like to get there in one piece." Ianto said in response to the questioning look Jack gave him as he climbed in to the passenger seat.

"I'm not that bad of a driver." Jack protested.

Ianto just looked at him.

"I'm not." Jack pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

Ianto kept quite and concentrated on his driving. The ball of ice in Jack's chest grew bigger with each passing mile. He squirmed and fidgeted until Ianto reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Jack, please tell me what's wrong." he said.

"This just feel bad, very bad." Jack mumbled.

It was dark by the time they reached the area where Tosh said the activity was.

"I don't like this," Jack growled, "how are we opposed to find anything in the dark?"

Ianto handed him a torch. Jack glared at him.

"We don't even know what we're looking for." Jack told him.

Ianto held up the portable rift energy detector.

"I don't think we should be wandering around out there at night,"Jack said, "maybe we should wait until morning."

The device in Ianto's hand chose that moment to start making all kinds of noise. Jack looked at the readings and sighed, they couldn't wait, with the readings they were getting, what ever was out there was getting stronger.

"Ok, lets go, but stay close, I don't want to loose you in the dark." Jack said, getting out of the SUV.

"This way." Ianto said, after taking a reading.

The light of the full moon was bright enough that they didn't need the torches. Jack broke out in a cold sweat as the wind picked up and rattled through the trees. His heart all but stopped as they approached a clearing. Ianto held up his detector, The readings were stronger than before, what ever they were looking for was in that clearing. They slowly made their way to the edge of it, staying in the tree line. The clearing was brightly lit by the light of the full moon. At the sight of the mound of dirt, Jack began to tremble. It took him a minute to realize the screams he was hearing weren't being made by the wind, but a young woman. She was struggling in the grip of wizened old crone. As they watched, a light shot out of a gem in the crone's hands and the woman went still. The crone gasped, her face contorting. When the light went out, the young woman was a dried out husk and the crone looked like middle aged woman. She let go of the lifeless body, giving it a push so it rolled in to hole at her feet. She pulled a hand held mirror out of her pocket.

"Not enough." she wailed, " It's not enough."

She hurried toward the edge of the clearing opposite where Jack and Ianto hid.

"That gem thing is the alien artifact. Ianto whispered. "We've got to get it away from her."

"I know." Jack said. "I'll follow her and get it. You stay here."

They both froze when they heard another scream. The crone was dragging another victim into the clearing.

"Hey, Ugly!" Jack shouted, walking out of the trees, his gun pointed at the crone. "How about letting the girl go."

"What are you?" the crone asked, he nose wiggling, smelling Jack's unique sent.

"Why don't you come find out." Jack taunted. "You've never tasted anything like me."

Ianto made his way threw the trees until he was behind the crone. She knocked the girl out with a blow to the head and dropped her the ground before she hurried toward Jack. Ianto hurried to the girl. She was still alive. His head jerked up when Jack screamed. The crone had the gem pointed at him, it's light hitting him in the chest. Ianto jumped to his feet and aimed his gun, firing off two shots before the ground gave way under his feet and he was falling. His head hit something and he saw black, then nothing. He regained consciousness to the sound of sobbing. He felt arms around him and realized he was being rocked.

"Jack?" he croaked.

"Ianto. Oh, God Ianto." Jack sobbed,"You were in that shallow grave and you weren't moving. It was just like my dreams, the wind, the clearing, you in the grave."

He hugged Ianto, making him wince as pain shot threw his skull.

"Are you ok?" Jack demanded, staring into his eyes.

"Must of hit my head." Ianto told him, "I'll live."

Jack prodded at the back of his head. Ianto hissed as his fingers pressed the lump that had already swelled up.

"I don't feel any breaks. You probably have a mild concussion." Jack told him.

"How long was I out?" Ianto asked.

" A few minutes." Jack answered.

"The crone?"

"She blew up when you shot her." Jack said, "Nice shooting by the way, both shots were direct hits."

"I've had a good teacher." Ianto said

Jack gave him a small smile, some of the tension leaving his face.

"The gem artifact thing blew up too. It must of been connected to her." Jack told him, " I found the cage where she held her victims, there were three others in there. I opened the cage, reconed them, and put in a call to the local authorities. They will be arriving soon, so if you're up to it, we should get out of here."

Jack helped him to his feet and they made their way back to the SUV. Ianto's head was pounding by the time they reached the vehicle. He gratefully swallowed the painkillers Jack handed him, then sank into the passenger seat.

"Jack, why didn't you tell me about the dreams?" he asked as the pills took affect.

"I guess I was hoping if I ignored them, they'd stop." Jack said.

"But they didn't, did they?"

"No." Jack admitted.

"You don't have to hide things from me, Jack." Ianto told him, taking his hand. " I want to help you carry your burdens but I can't if you won't let me."

Jack lifted their entwined hand to his lips and kissed Ianto's knuckles.

"I saw you in a shallow grave every night in my nightmares, it was so real, then you were in that one tonight and I thought the nightmares had come true." Jack said softly.

"I'm right here, Jack." Ianto told him squeezing his hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Jack asked

"Promise." Ianto replied.

"I'm gon'a hold you to it." Jack told him.

"Looking forward to it." he replied.


End file.
